Part Of Me, Part Of You
by NinaGold
Summary: Post Episode 2x22. Shortly after Rumplestiltskin leaves to save Henry, Belle discovers she's pregnant. With her lover gone, possibly forever, Belle faces her most difficult challenge yet: raising a child as a single mother.
1. A shocking revelation

Belle woke up, bolted out of bed, and raced for the bathroom. She barely made it before she vomited into the toilet. It had been almost a month to the day since Rumplestiltskin had left on Hook's ship to help save his grandson, Henry. She had been sick every day for 12 straight days, and yesterday, she had noticed that now her breasts were really sore and achy. Suddenly, a realization hit her with a shock that was almost physical. With all that had been on her mind the last few weeks, it hadn't even occurred to her that her period was late. _Oh,no,no,no! _She thought to herself. The idea left her paralyzed and shaking on the bathroom floor. She couldn't possibly be-"_Pregnant!?"_ She whispered the word aloud. But when could that have possibly happened. Then she remembered that awful night, their first date with her as 'Lacey'. She had snuck out during dinner at Granny's to meet up with that man she had met at the bar, and ' ', as she had known Rumple then, had caught them behind the diner. He had chased the man off, and then she had stormed off in a rage. Later, as she was leaving to go home, she had seen Gold beating the man senseless with his cane. The sight of it had excited her, aroused her so much that she talked Gold into taking her back to his house, where they had-well, 'made love' was not the right word for it. 'Screwed their brains out' was closer to the truth. Love hadn't had a thing to do with it. The memory of that made Belle deeply ashamed, as did the memory of all the terrible things she had said and done when she was Lacey, and the things she had encouraged Rumplestiltskin to do. Now here she was, quite probably pregnant, and her child's father was gone, and it was very likely that he might never return, and she had no way to contact him, to let him know. She was not a woman given to panic, but she was out of her mind with fear now. She managed to get up off the floor, grabbed the phone, and called her friend Ella. Ella answered on the second ring.

"I need your help," Belle told her. "Are you busy?"

"Nope," Ella replied. "Sean just left for work, I have today off, and I'm just hanging out with Alexandra. What's up?"

"I need you to get over to my place as soon as you can. And on your way, stop at the pharmacy and get me a home pregnancy test."

While she waited for Ella, Belle washed her face, brushed her teeth, and tried to calm herself down enough to think. If she were indeed pregnant, what were her options? Turning to her father was impossible. Moe French had made his position very clear: If Belle continued to see Rumplestiltskin; he would have nothing further to do with his daughter. Terminating the pregnancy was also out of the question. No matter what circumstances under which this baby had been conceived, it was her child, hers and Rumple's. It would be like destroying a part of them both. So that left her with just one option, terrifying as it was: she would have the baby, and raise it alone.

A little while later, Belle and Ella sat on the sofa waiting to find out the results of the pregnancy test, and watching little Alexandra babbling happily to her favorite doll. Finally Ella spoke up. "You know, Belle," she began, trying to choose her words carefully, "You don't have to go through with this, if you don't want." Belle shook her head. "No, I already know I won't have an abortion. Besides, Rumple made arrangements for me to be taken care of, so as far as money and all that, I'll be okay." After Belle's father had turned his back on her, Rumple had had her name added to his bank accounts, and his other financial investments, giving Belle access to his money. He had also had documents drawn up that if anything happened to him, his house, the shop, and his other properties would belong to Belle. "I want to see to it that you will always have anything you need, not matter what happens," He had told her. "That's the least I can do." With his keen business sense and knack for smart investments, Belle wouldn't have to worry about money for a very long time, if ever.

"Well that's good to know," Ella said, somewhat surprised, but pleased that the man was capable of being so kind and generous at least when it came to Belle.

"Yes, it's just that…" Belle's voice tapered off.

"The thought of raising a child alone is really scary," Ella finished for her. "I was scared to death when I thought I'd be a single mom. I was lucky Sean came back for us."

"That's exactly it. I don't know if I can do it all by myself, even without worrying about money."

"Hey," Ella took her friend's hand in both of hers. "You'll have me, and Red, and your other friends. We'll be for you, always."

Belle hugged her. "Thank you so much, Ella."

The timer went off, signaling that the test was ready. Belle and Ella held hands as they went into the bathroom. Belle picked up the little white stick, which had an unmistakable plus sign on the side. Tears welled up in Belle's eyes. "I knew it."

"Remember what I said," Ella reminded her. "We're here to help you."

"I know. But right now, I need to be alone, so I can start to plan where to go from here."

After Ella and Alexandra left, Belle went back to the sofa. "I'm going to have a baby," she whispered to herself. "Oh, Rumple," she began to sob, "I wish you were here."


	2. Messages Across Worlds

A/N: Thanks for the positive reviews! In this chapter, Belle finds a way to communicate with Rumplestiltskin. How will he react to the news of the pregnancy? Read on and see!

Belle had decided to move into Rumplestiltskin's home. It had more space for her and the baby, and it comforted her, being surrounded by his things made her feel he was with her somehow. She thanked him every day for taking such good care of her even when he wasn't physically there. Still, she needed to talk to him, desperately. She hated to think of him coming home to her, to find he had a child he didn't even know about. She had also written to her father, since she didn't think she could handle talking to him face to face. His answer was brief, and particularly hateful. Moe still wanted nothing to do with Belle, and certainly wanted nothing to do with her baby. That she would even consider bearing the offspring of 'that monster', as he put it, was beyond him. Any child of Rumplestiltskin's would be an evil aberration, just like him, he wrote._ "You've made your choices, Belle," _he had concluded, _"Now you can live with the consequences."_ Belle had been hurt, but not surprised, by his reaction. She was almost glad that Rumple was gone; there was no telling what he would have done to Moe if he'd known the things he'd said.

One morning about a week after she had moved into Rumple's house, she walked into the living room, and noticed a cylinder-shaped package on one of the end tables. On top there was an envelope attached, with 'Belle' written on it. Her heart suddenly leaped. She would know that handwriting anywhere! "Rumple!" she grabbed the package and tore open the envelope.

"_Dearest Belle,_

_I know you don't approve of magic, but this quill and parchment will allow us to communicate. I have a matching set with me, and whatever I write to you will show up on your parchment, and when you write back, I'll be able to read it on mine. So far we are all well, but no news of Henry or Greg and Tamara as yet. I hope you are well too, and I hope to hear from you very soon. I love you and miss you with all my heart, my darling Belle._

_All my Love, _

_Rumple" _

Belle unwrapped the package. Inside was a beautiful quill made out of what looked like a swan feather, and a roll of parchment paper. She sat down, took the quill, and began to write.

_Rumple, it's Belle. Are you there?_

Belle waited what seemed ages for his reply. Finally, she heard a sizzling sound, and on the parchment appeared a small flame. When it died down, she saw writing.

_I'm here now, Belle. I'm glad you got my gift. How are you?_

_I have some news for you that will give you quite a shock._

_Is it bad news or good news?_

Belle sighed. "Well, that all depends." She took a deep breath, and got on with it.

_Rumple, I found out about 3 weeks after you left, that I'm pregnant._

No immediate reply came. Time ticked by as Belle stared at the parchment. After about 5 minutes, he finally answered.

_Yes that is certainly a shock._

_Please tell me what you are thinking._

_Right now, I'm too shocked to know what to think or how to feel._

Tears blurred the page as Belle read those words.

_I understand._

_I'm going to need some time to think about this, Belle. I'll have to talk to you another time. I must go for now. I love you._

_I love you too. We'll talk again soon._

Belle lay down on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. She hadn't heard from Rumple since that morning, and it was getting late. Either he was too upset to write to her, or something had happened and he couldn't. She was exhausted from worry, and her hormones were going into overdrive. She suddenly felt something move inside her. Her baby was moving! She wondered if her emotional state was somehow making the baby anxious too. She put her hand on her tummy. "It's okay, little baby," she said in a soothing voice, trying to calm herself as well as the baby. "Mama is going to take care of you. It's going to be okay, you'll see." Then she saw a flash of light out of the corner of her eye. Rumple was writing her again. She picked up the parchment, almost afraid to read what he had to say.

_I'm back, Belle._

With her hand shaking, Belle picked up her quill.

_Rumple, are you very angry?_

_I'm not angry at all, sweetheart. It's just a shock like you said. I love you, and I love our baby._

Belle felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders.

_You have no idea how glad I am to know that._

_Is everything okay with you and the baby so far? Are you well?_

_Yes, so far just some morning sickness and all the normal pregnancy complaints._

_Good. I wish so much I could be with you. I hate that you are going to have to go through all this alone._

_Well, being able to talk to you this way helps a lot._

_I'm glad. It must be getting late there. Go to bed, you'll need your rest. I love you, Belle, and I think of you every minute. Good night._

_I love you so much, Rumple. Good night. _

That night Belle slept better than she had in weeks. In her dream, she was holding a beautiful baby girl in her arms. She knew in her heart, she was going to have a daughter.

**Next chapter: Belle's pregnancy enters the final trimester, and she gets some interesting news from Rumplestiltskin. Stay tuned!**

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	3. Mixed Blessings

Belle woke up in the middle of the night, and tried to find a more comfortable position, with little success. Being seven-and-a-half months pregnant, she was finding to her dismay that it was getting more and more difficult to get comfortable, between her big belly, aching back, and sore, swollen feet and legs. As she rearranged the pillows to support herself, she felt a sharp pain in her side. "Oh, come on," she muttered as the baby's foot pressed on her ribcage, "You're already going to be keeping me up most of the night after you're born. Can't you at least let me get a decent rest until then?" Time had gone by quickly, and she was just a little over a month from her due date, April 6. Ella and Red had kept her spirits up, and with the help of the magic quill and parchment, she was able to keep in touch with Rumplestiltskin, so she had not been as lonely as she'd feared in the beginning. The initial shock of the news had worn off, and Rumple was enthusiastic about the baby, excited about being a father again. She kept him updated on her doctor's appointments and ultrasounds, which had revealed that she was indeed having a girl, like her dream had told her. After several consultations with Rumple, they had agreed on a name for her that they both loved: Amy Elizabeth.

As her friends helped her get the nursery ready, she couldn't help but wish that it could be Rumplestiltskin helping her pick out the wallpaper, set up the crib and changing table, and hang up curtains. That was the way it should be, she thought, although she had a hard time picturing Rumple going through paint samples and fabric swatches, and trying to decide between Teddy bears or bunnies for the border. As she got closer to her due date, she was getting more excited about becoming a mother, but this was certainly wasn't how she would have planned going about it. It was most definitely a mixed blessing.

Rumplestiltskin wrote her whenever he got the chance, but sometimes there were days when the search for Henry kept him too busy and he didn't have time. Then one day, he had some news. It seemed that some of the Neverland natives, led by Princess Tiger Lily, had killed Greg and Tamara, and helped Henry escape from the Lost Boys.

_So do you know where he is now? _Belle wrote.

They got him through to The Enchanted Forest. We are going there now. And not only that, but they also found Baelfire.

WHAT? What do you mean, found Baelfire?

My son is alive, Belle. And Henry is with him.

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is a little short. I appreciate you taking the time to read, and I thank you for reviewing/following my story. Next chapter, the big day arrives, and Belle gives birth! Keep coming back, the happy ending is just around the corner!**


	4. The Big Day Comes

It was March 30, and Belle's due date was a week away. That morning she woke up early, feeling restless and agitated. She had her case packed for the hospital, and it had been decided that Red would be there with her for the birth. She checked the parchment again, but there was no word from Rumplestiltskin. It had been three days since she'd heard from him, and she was getting worried, and a little angry. "Damn it, Rumple," she said as she rolled the parchment up and stuffed it back into her bag. "You could at least take 3 minutes to let me know you're alive!" Between her anxiety over the birth, and being worried sick about Rumple, she was a bundle of nerves and had been feeling premature contractions off and on since yesterday. She tried to calm herself by talking to Amy. "I know it must be killing your father that he can't be here," she said, rubbing her tummy. "Wherever he is, I know loves you very much, and he won't stop until he finds a way to get back to us. He never gave up on finding your brother, after all. If anyone can find a way, it's your papa." True love _always _finds a way, she kept telling herself.

Later that day, Belle was lying on the couch with her feet up, with a book lying open facedown on her chest, dozing off. She started feeling a strange warmth around her legs, and sat bolt upright, not sure if she was dreaming or not. Her water had broken! Trying not to panic, she dialed Red's cell phone. "I have to go to the hospital, my water broke." Relax and breathe, she told herself, it's going to be fine.

"On my way, right now," Red told her. "Is there anything you need?"

"No, just please get here. I don't want to be alone."

"I'm coming, Belle. Just grab your bags and I'll be right there."

Two minutes later Belle heard the squeal of brakes as Red came tearing into the driveway. She burst through the door and ran to grab the suitcase from Belle and took her arm to help her to the car. As she helped Belle into the passenger seat, Belle suddenly gasped and double over, moaning loudly.

"Hang in there, hon," she said, sliding in behind the wheel, "We'll be there in no time."

"There's no need to break any speed records," Belle said, panting, "Just get us there quickly and in one piece!"

"Will do."

When Belle was settled into a bed at the hospital, a nurse hooked her to an EKG, and strapped a fetal monitor across her abdomen. The nurse patted Belle's arm and told her, "Try to relax, sweetie. First babies usually take quite a while." Red sat by Belle, talking to her, rubbing her back, and holding her hand when the pains hit. Belle tried one more time to get in touch with Rumplestiltskin with the parchment.

_Rumple, I'm at the hospital. Amy's coming._ No word came for a while, and she had just about given up, when the flame suddenly appeared on the parchment and died down. Finally, she thought.

We've been on the move pretty much constantly for a few days, I'm so sorry I haven't written. Are you all right?

_Red's here with me, but I'm scared. I miss you so much!_

_I wish so much I could be there, Belle. _

Hours later, Belle was sweat soaked and tired. Finally, Dr. Whale said it was time to push. With Red beside her, wiping her forehead and speaking soothingly to her, Belle pushed and pushed until at last, Dr. Whale held up little Amy Elizabeth and placed her in her mother's arms. "My little girl," Belle whispered as she rocked her newborn. She took the baby's little hand and kissed every little finger. She knew that no matter what, she would never regret bringing this little darling into the world, ever.

After Belle had had a chance to rest a little bit, and the baby was sleeping in the little bassinette next to her bed, she picked up the parchment and wrote:

_Our daughter is here. She's absolutely perfect!_

_Oh, God. I'd give anything to be there to see her. Did everything go all right?_

_The delivery took a little longer than expected, but all's well that ends well._

_Make sure she knows Papa loves her, okay._

_I promise I will. When you find Henry and Baelfire, you'll be home and you can tell her yourself._

_I hope it won't be much longer. I love you both, my darling girls!_

**Next time, the moment you've all been waiting for, Rumplestiltskin finally meets his daughter! **


	5. Family Reunion

Little Amy was now a month old. Belle knew all new mothers were biased, but she thought Amy was the sweetest, most beautiful baby. Red, Granny and Ella were all crazy about her, and so were most of the townspeople. Red had appointed herself Amy's unofficial godmother, since she had been there when she was born, and there were lots of outings in the park with Ella and Alexandra. Belle adored her little daughter, and was happy, except she still missed Rumplestiltskin terribly. He wanted to know every detail of his little girl's life, always asking about how she was sleeping, if she was healthy, and on and on. One beautiful day in May, Belle got a message from Rumplestiltskin that she had to read about 5 times to make sure she'd read it right:

_We're coming home, Belle. Henry, Bae, all of us._

_I don't believe it. WHEN?_

_Probably tomorrow, or the next day._

Belle could hardly believe it. After all this time, her love was coming home, and they would really be a family. She could hardly sit still from excitement. She picked up Amy and danced around the living room with her. "Your Papa's coming home, Amy angel. I can't wait for him to see you. He loves you so much, and so do I."

The next day, Hook's ship sailed through a portal and landed in Storybrooke. Most of the townspeople were there to welcome the adventurers, as Snow White, Charming, Regina, Henry, Baelfire, Rumplestiltskin and Emma disembarked. Convincing Bae to give his father another chance had been difficult, but with a lot of help from Emma and Henry, Rumplestiltskin had finally gotten through to his son. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to really trust you again, Papa," Bae had told him, "But after what you went through to save Henry, I guess I'm willing to try." That was all Rumple could ask for. But mending fences with his son would have to wait. Right now, all he wanted to do was see Belle and meet his baby girl. He silently made his way through the crowd of well-wishers and headed home. When he got there, Belle was waiting for him. She ran to him and threw her arms around him, almost knocking him down. He laughed as he regained his balance and returned her embrace. It was several seconds before she made herself loosen her grip. "Welcome home," she said, tears of joy running down her face. He kissed her and took her face in her hands. "Oh, Belle, I have so much to tell you, love. But first, I have to meet my daughter. Where's my Amy?" Belle took his hand and led her to the nursery, where Amy was lying in her crib. When they walked in, she turned to look at them, and Rumplestiltskin walked over to her. Hooking his cane over his arm, he picked up the baby. She looked into his eyes, and smiled at him. "Hello, Amy," he whispered to her. "You are so beautiful, my little baby." His eyes took in every detail of her features: his eyes, her mouth, and his hands. "Oh, Belle, she's so lovely," he said. Belle smiled at him. His eyes couldn't take in enough of the sight of the two of them.

A couple of days later, Baelfire, Emma and Henry came to the house to meet the baby. As Belle brought Amy into the room, the three of them moved closer to get a good look. "It's weird, Grandpa," Henry spoke up, "You have a new baby that's younger than your grandson."

"Indeed," answered Rumplestiltskin as they smiled at each other, "And you, my boy, have an aunt that's younger than her nephew."

"Well," Emma said, putting her hand on Henry's head, "Weird is pretty much par for the course in this family."

"Can I hold her?" asked Henry.

"Wait your turn, pal," Bae said, "I'm her big brother, I get to hold her first." He stepped forward and Belle put Amy in his arms.

"Hello, little sister," Bae smiled as he rocked the baby in his arms.

Rumple looked at them, and his heart swelled with joy and pride. After all this time, after everything they had all been through, it seemed that what they had all wanted was finally going to happen: they were going to really be a family.

**The End**

A/N: Well, I'm glad so many of you liked this little story. Here's hoping things work out so well on the show!


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